1. Field of the Invention
Broadly the invention relates to travelers for sailcraft. More particularly, it concerns improved forms of cars for traveler assemblies that enable traveler positioning to be controlled from a position on the sailcraft remote from the traveler.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sailcraft traveler is a device that helps to fix the angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the sailcraft that a sheet will lead to a sail for controlling the set of the sail. Travelers are used not only on sailboats, but also on iceboats, wind scooters and other sailcraft. In many sailcraft, a traveler is used only with a mainsail, but with others, e.g., racing catamarans, travelers are used with both a mainsail and a jib. The improvements of this invention may be used on both mainsail and jib travelers.
The simplest forms of travelers consist of a ring or sheave that slides along a rod or rope fastened to the deck of the sailcraft. In the more advanced forms of travelers, a track is fastened generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis on the deck or other portion of the sailcraft and a car slides along the track. This invention relates to travelers of the type that include such a track.
In order to adjust the sheeting angle of a sail, it is necessary to control the position of the car on the traveler track. In many forms of travelers, this is done using stops or bumpers that are secured at a selected position on the track by a wing-nut, plunger or the like. To alter the sheeting angle with such type of traveler assembly requires that the stop or bumper be changed to a new position on the track. This requires a person to move to the traveler, but this is undesirable with high performance racing sailboats, particularly when beating to windward, because of the shift in weight distribution on the sailcraft. Accordingly, various systems have been developed by which the position of the car on the traveler track can be controlled by lines or other means from a point on the sailcraft remote from the traveler. This invention relates to improvements in such remote control traveler systems.